Franklin posts 3rd straight shutout of HCAC foe
FRANKLIN, Ind. – Franklin College today shut out a Heartland Conference football opponent for the third consecutive week – this time in a 56-0 decision over Rose-Hulman at Faught Stadium.
The Grizzlies, ranked 23rd this week in the D3football.com Top 25 poll, also captured their 23rd straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory – FC has won 46 of its last 49 league contests – improving to 5-0 in the conference this season and 5-2 overall.
The Engineers fell to 2-3 in the HCAC and 2-5 in all games.
FC deployed plenty of weapons this afternoon.
Junior quarterback Jonny West, the reigning HCAC Player of the Week on Offense, completed 22 of 30 passes for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Junior split end Kyle Linville made 6 catches for 164 yards and 1 TD. Linville now has 12 touchdown receptions on the season, making at least one scoring catch in every game but one in 2012.
Freshman running back Cody Hess rushed nine times for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Grizzly cornerback Zack Corpe shined both on defense and on special teams. The junior made three interceptions and broke up a pass in the defensive backfield and returned six punts for 85 yards, including a long play of 39 yards.
As a team, Franklin piled up 667 total yards of offense (222 net yards rushing and 444 in the air) to the Engineers' total of 181.
Hess started the scoring midway in the opening quarter, running in from 2 yards out to cap a 10-play, 92-yard drive.
Then the Grizzlies poured it on and all but put it away in the second period, scoring five touchdowns.
The assault began with West hitting senior split end Ben Hamlin with a 5-yard scoring strike. Then backup QB Grant Welp connected with senior wingback Keith Cunningham on a 49-yard catch-and-run TD play to put the hosts up 21-0.
West then returned behind center and found senior running back Luke Hamm open on a 65-yard pass play. After rushing for a score on a 1-yard sneak, West then closed out the second period with a 38-yard strike to Linville with a 1:26 left in the first half.
Franklin added a pair of scores in the third quarter when Hess rushed for 3-yard touchdown and senior wingback Damon Speck ran in from 15 yards out.
FC's defense, which held Rose-Hulman to just nine first downs and its 181 total yards, also was led by junior linebacker Jordan Segner, who had 6 total tackles. Junior linebacker Alex Van Cleve, Corpe and junior cornerback LaDarrius Calvin contributed 5 total tackles apiece.
The Grizzlies will play in their final road game of the 2012 season on Oct. 27 when they visit Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio for a 2 p.m. HCAC contest.
